The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for regulating a body temperature of a person, such as a hospital patient. More particularly, the present invention relates to a mattress-style support structure having an inflatable layer for supporting a person and heating or cooling the person supported thereon.
Mattress pads capable of heating or cooling a patient are known in the art. Mattress pads capable of heating a patient typically include a conductive material which provides substantially uniform heat transfer across the pad. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,073,284 to Borders and U.S. Pat. No. 6,049,927 to Thomas, et al., both of which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention. U.S. Pat. No. 5,970,550 to Gazes discloses an inflatable mattress that may be filled with heated or cooled air or water using a heat pump or heat exchanger controlled by a thermostat. U.S. Pat. No. 6,033,432 to Augustine discloses an apparatus having a surface portion to which cooling is applied to remove heat from human or animal body portions in contact with the surface portion based upon the pressure applied by the body portion to the surface portion.